On March 11 and 25, 2020, the scientific seminars within the geology section of FSBI TsNIGRI Scientific Council were held. The tradition of getting an insight into new study results at the institute's scientific seminar dates back to the late 1950s; it was initiated by M.B. Borodaevskaya and N.I. Borodaevsky, PhDs, and subsequently maintained until now. Currently, the scientific seminar is chaired by I.F. Migachev, PhD.

On March 11, 2020, V.S. Zvezdov, Head of the metallogeny department, PhD, made a presentation, "Major and giant porphyry copper deposit formation conditions and forecasting criteria". He spoke about the specific geodynamic, structural-petrophysical, geochemical and other conditions required for giant deposits generation, as well as the criteria and modern methods of their forecasting and prospecting. The presented materials, which summarized the global experience in studying these deposits over the past 20 years, were of interest to both young specialists who are at the start of their careers, and TsNIGRI experts who study other deposit types.

On March 25, 2020, two reports were made at the seminar: “The quality control of testing minerals: Russian standards (based on the materials of the seminar of the UCC “Minstandart”)” by A.V. Okulov, Head of the laboratory, PhD, and “Results of the Convention of Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC 2020) and the Conference of the Canada Eurasia Russia Business Association (CERBA)” by V.N. Khasanov, Head of scientific and methodical prospecting support department.

A.V. Okulov spoke about the requirements of Russian regulatory and methodological documents for ensuring quality control of sampling, processing and analytics. He showed that errors in the selection, processing and analytical studies at the stage of evaluation and exploration of deposits can lead to incorrect determination of the parameters of ore bodies and blocks. Drawing on experience of the GKZ experts it leads to an increase in mineral losses and an increase in dilution, hence to a systematic deterioration of the real technical and economic indicators of the deposit. Errors of lithochemical survey using secondary dispersion halos at the stage of prospecting can lead to non-detection of anomalies above ore bodies, or to the identification of false anomalies. In the first case, promising ore occurrences may be skipped, in the second, unjustified expenses for the verification of false anomalies will be incurred, which will lead to inefficiency of the work as a whole. The report focused on various types of control, which are regulated by Russian regulatory and methodological documents: control of the reliability of sampling, quality control of sample processing, types of geological control of analytical work. Qualitatively performed control studies allow us to draw valid conclusions about the reliability of the performed geological exploration. The report aroused many questions from the audience regarding the details of Russian regulatory documents governing external geological control, analysis of specific situations of sampling violation, and incorrect interpretation of materials from prospecting works. A desire was expressed to devote the next seminar to the topic of differences between domestic and foreign requirements for the quality of testing.